Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
First: The Scale on the Day of Resurrection is a confirmed reality. Allah تعالى says:
﴿فَمَن ثَقُلَتْ مَوَازِينُهُ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ﴾ [Al-A'raf: 8].
“Then those whose scales are heavy—it is they who will be successful.”
The scholars have stated that whoever’s good deeds outweigh his bad deeds, even by a single good deed, will be saved and enter Paradise. If a person has wronged other people, their rights will be taken from his good deeds. If, after that, his scale still remains heavier, he will be saved.
However, this does not mean that a Muslim should deliberately commit major sins relying on the abundance of his good deeds. Rather, it is obligatory to repent from sins, fulfill the obligatory duties, and return people's rights. A servant should never feel secure from Allah’s plan or punishment.
Second: The bridges mentioned in detail before the Sirat, which some claim that a person must cross seven bridges and will be questioned at each one about monotheism, prayer, fasting, zakat, Hajj, ablution, and people's rights, are not established by any authentic hadith attributed to the Prophet ﷺ. Rather, some reports and statements concerning this have been transmitted from certain scholars.
Therefore, it is not correct to believe that every minor shortcoming in fasting, fulfilling a trust, prayer, or another matter necessarily causes a person to fall into the Fire based on these alleged bridges.
However, it is authentically established in the Sunnah that the trust and the ties of kinship will be placed on the two sides of the Sirat. The Prophet ﷺ said:
“And the trust and the ties of kinship will be sent forth, and they will stand on the two sides of the Sirat, to the right and to the left.”
Narrated by Muslim.
This demonstrates the great importance of fulfilling trusts and maintaining family ties, and that the rights owed to Allah and the rights owed to people are matters of tremendous importance on the Day of Resurrection, without establishing the detailed account concerning the alleged seven bridges.
Therefore, the Muslim should not live in terror because of unverified descriptions. Rather, he should fear Allah in a way that motivates him to act: he should preserve the obligatory duties, avoid prohibitions, repent from shortcomings, return people's rights to them, and hope for the mercy of Allah تعالى.
Salvation on the Day of Resurrection is not achieved merely by relying on having many good deeds. Rather, it is by the grace and mercy of Allah, together with faith, righteous deeds, and repentance from sins.
And Allah knows best.